ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · face · track · branch · spring · rash · rule · object

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. track — to keep track
  5. face — to confront
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. rule — government
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — a law
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. spring — of water
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — a coil
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — the season
  21. face — to point toward
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. object — to protest
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com